Sony RX100 II @ 3200ISO, straight out from camera, zero PP

Dylan777 said:
Dylan777 said:
I took this picture with Sony RX100II, in low light. This is 3200ISO, JPEG straight out from camera, zero PP.

RX1 & RX 100 II always amazed me...body size and IQ.

Just incase anyone interested to see the remaining photos:

http://albums.phanfare.com/isolated/OrMEuOZU/1/6234908

1st picture was taken this morning, around 5:30AM California time, indoor,with little light at 3200ISO. The remaining photos were taken this afternoon with decent lighting, next to patio door. All jpeg files. Copied straight from camera - zero PP.

The RX100 II is a great small camera for this type of work. It fits in jean and shirt pocket well. It delivers great IQ, even in JPEG. I carry this camera to work everyday.

Ohhh...almost forgot, please excuse my crappy composition:P

It is certainly great as to the advances made in digital cameras since my first Fujifilm MX700 in 1998. I recently bought a vintage 6MP Kodak DCS 460C from 1995 ($35,500 originally), and it could do about ISO 80 max. Now, many shoot at ISO 3200 and higher with impunity. I also remember the Polaroid ASA 2000 B&W film that would let you shoot by candlelight, but never quite lived up to that for me. (I think you had to increase the developing time to make it work.)

Have fun with it!!
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Finally getting some Eneloops, but will my old charger work?

I have two of the Maha MH-C801D chargers, and I have found them to be rock-solid. Rapid charge, soft charge, and conditioning modes, individual charge per cell (x8) seems to have extended the life of my batts and with 4 speedlites each with external battery packs, it does make a difference to the wallet when you can get some longevity out of your AA's. Just like everything else you get what you pay for - I get that budgets are important, but I think I can safely say going with a cheaper charger with premium batteries is probably false economy. The Powerex site lists the MH-C801D as 90 bucks but B&H has them for $65.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=MH-C801D&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

For the cells I use all Powerex, a mix of Imedions in the flashes ready to go

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/883811-REG/Powerex_MHRAAI4_IMEDION_Ready_When.html

and Powerex for the external packs and to replace the ones in the strobes.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/883816-REG/Powerex_MHRAA4_Rechargeable_AA_NiMH.html

(Amazon is good for Powerex too).

Having said that I wouldn't hesitate to use the Eneloops as well as many of my colleagues swear by them. But I can honestly say the Powerex stuff has been bulletproof.

Oh, and pick up a proper battery tester while you're at it - the cheap ones don't properly "load" the cell to give you an accurate reading of the charge remaining. But a proper one can save you a lot of hours trying to find a dead cell. I love this one:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/321271-REG/ZTS_MINI_MBT_Mini_MBT_Multi_Battery_Tester.html
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Faulty Shutter Button + Fix

Users have been cleaning dirty shutter switch contacts and posting utube video's for years. If you have the tools and are fairly handy with them, its just a matter of taking your time and doing it right.

I find working on lenses to be tougher, depending on what I'm doing. I have several bags of parts from never to be reassembled again lenses. Its particularly nasty to get those aperture blades put back in place. I still do it, but I've lost feeling in my fingers, so it becomes extremely frustrating and difficult, it has to be done from some sort of memory for the correct motions with my fingers since there is almost no feeling.
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70-200 f2.8 IS (Ver 1) used or 70-300 F4-5.6 IS L New

seasamshoot said:
Thanks for all the advice.

How valuable is the IS on the Mark I? And is the F4 IS good for indoor portraits on a crop camera? Logic would suggest that it would basically be giving me a f5.6 depth of field wide open on the 70D. is that correct?

Thanks again.

if i remember correctly, 70-200mm f/2.8 IS version 1 has 3 stop of IS whereas 70-200mm f/4 IS has 4 stop. about the sharpness, to me 70-200mm f/4 IS is more better than 70-200mm f/2.8 IS version 1 even at f/4. i am not trying to say that version 1 is not good, i did own this version before upgrading to version II, and version I served me pretty well on my candid shots.

as many people suggestion on 85mm f/1.8 for in door portrait, i am on the same page with them. but i do not have 85mm f/1.8; i am using 50mm f/1.4 instead for everyday purposes (it is 80mm on crop.) ideal focal length of portrait photograhy is twice of your sensor size if i am right (i think i got this information from computer science 178 course offered by uc stanford). all i have to do is just zoom by feet. number of people say that this lens is tack sharp at 2.8, but i see it at f/3.2 even at low light with high iso upto 1000 on my 30d, 3200 on my 7d and slightly greater than 6400 on my 5d3. however, i am not hesitate to use wider f/stop or even widest if i have to... below are images that i have recently shot with this lens at f/2 with my 30d (note: the very first image were shot with PL linear filter to get rid some of reflection that i did not want with breaking rule of using PL filter.)

for some reasons, available light in-door portrait without IS on 70-200mm f/2.8 does not convince me much on golden rule of shutter speed (yes, i violate shutter speed sometimes, but not all the time :P), especially you have not eaten breakfast, lunch or dinner before shooting ;D

note: there is a pro protographer who is currently using 70-200mm f/4 IS and he is happy with it. his name is Tony Corbel. i am not a pro. photographer, i am just a learner and hobbyist giving out my own thoughts...

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How to carry 5DMKIII with 70-200/2.8ISMKII

I was actually just shooting last night in a smallish music performance venue with a gripped 5d3 & (rented) 70-200 IS v2. I'll tell ya, if I buy one of these, I won't need to hit the gym any more. Just shoot for an hour or two with that every day and I'll be good!

More on topic, I have the RRS L-bracket and was using the B2-FABN clamp with my 5d3 camera strap on that instead of using my BR RS-5 (cargo) strap. Actually worked really well, and as much as I love the RS-5, it's a bit bulky on my shoulder and the strap occasionally limits my movement if I always have the camera in my hands and up and ready. The clamp was onto the L-bracket, and I didn't feel any problem with the 70-200 on it.

That said, I'd have preferred to mount an Acra-swiss plate to the lens tripod mount and use the BR strap with the clamp on the tripod mount as I bet it'd have been better balanced. Although with a gripped 5d3, the balance definitely feels closer to the body/lens mount area, instead of further forward like with an ungripped 5d3.

EDIT:
@Ben Taylor, that's the clamp I was originally going to go for, but then I saw the B2-FABN which has 3 spots to connect straps to. Pretty awesome and handy, even though it is physically a bit larger than the B2-FAB-F.
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Indy Car Test Day

For those of you in the Southern California area, the Izod Indy Car Series will be having a test day in Fontana on Tuesday, September 24. The event is free to the public and if you are going to the race in October they are holding a Q&A session with the drivers, too. That should be good for some nice candid portraits.

http://www.autoclubspeedway.com/Tickets-Events/Events/INDYCAR-Weekend/INDYCAR-Test.aspx

street photography...feedback please!

I have only been street shooting (and other I guess) since 2011. My main aim when I go out to shoot is to have NO AIM other than to have my camera set for the conditions prevailing.

Opportunity meeting preparation gets the shot.

I don't see in B&W nor in colour. I just see, observe, look for an expression, a nuance, an ironic juxta, context, several different lives happening at once in a confined area. I shoot then process to get the best (of my limited abilities) out of what I have.

if you ever suffer a lack of confidence in your abilities, look at Bruce Gilden's street stuff. Same old schtick......but he is a Magnum 'tog....and all he does is stick a Leica and flash gun under the noses of his ambush victims. (But to be fair.....look at his Yakusa and other photo documentary stuff and you see how brilliant he is as a camersmith)

I have seen stuff produced here by keen amatuers that I would say is way more interesting and skilfully carried out than some really well known street shooters.

I see, I shoot, I move on....I am not precious about it, I don't go in for pseudo mumbo jumbo. To be honest, having Parkinsons tremor, it is all I can do to hold a bloody camera still enough and for long enough to get the shot.

I see wonderful stuff in these forums, wonderful and wonder why they are not exhibited elsewhere.
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Looking for opinions on a new lens. Zoom vs Prime.

May I ask what kind of photography you are interested in pursuing? Are you interested in doing more and more weddings in order to earn income, or is the income from this work just an added bonus which will allow you to buy more gear in order to pursue other photographic interests?

I ask, because when you are first starting out and interested in generating income, the best thing to do will be to rent the lenses you need, rather than buy them. This will keep you in the black. It takes a $2000 lens some time to pay for itself when you're just starting out. It's good to own some nice lenses that you like and are comfortable with, for sure, but it's not something you have to do all at once. You can do it gradually. There's no reason to put financial pressure on yourself at this stage in the game if you're not sure about what you want yet. Buy the lenses you love and will use a lot (even outside of doing wedding jobs) and rent the others. Renting will give you the opportunity to use anything you want.

The 17-40 is great, I'd keep that one, but if you only own body, and are shooting weddings solo, you need that mid-range zoom (24-105). As I'm sure you've experienced, things move very quickly and weddings and you may find yourself in situations where you need more reach than the 17-40mm offers, yet you don't have enough time to switch lenses.

There is no doubt that you need a longer telephoto however, I will not advise you to sell the 24-105mm at this time in order to buy it...not unless you get a 2nd body so that you can have something wide at the ready (without changing lenses).

You could shoot an entire wedding with a 24-105mm on a single body, and still get pretty good results if you *had* to...and it wouldn't be that bad. That's the value of a mid-range zoom like the 24-105mm.

You could maybe do it with a 17-40 only, but portraits would not be a pretty sight. And you'd miss a lot with a 70-200mm only. On paper, it sounds good to have a 17-40, a 50, and 70-200mm -- that really covers every length...but it doesn't cover them in an ideal way with just one body--it will actually be an incredibly non-ideal setup and a pain in the butt to use. You'll be switching lenses way, way, way too much, and missing shots, slowing down the pace of the wedding, and it will be hard for you to get into a good rhythm of shooting.

The appeal of the 35/1.4 is understandable, and I won't try to dissuade you on that. Just keep in mind that your lens bag is getting pretty large, and if you're just on one body...it's going to be tricky to make use of all the lenses you bring with you. The only way to know for sure, however, is to try it out -- you might love the lens, or you might hate it. Try it before you buy it.

Keep the 24-105mm, it's a solid performer. It's great for outdoor weddings. Try a 35mm f/1.4...if you like it, consider buying it. The 35/1.4 will be great during receptions, certain kinds of detail shots, etc.

You still need something to cover your tele needs. If it turns out you aren't crazy about the 35 after trying it, then buy whatever 70-200mm is in your budget and you're done. Don't worry about mkI vs mkII vs IS, etc., just get what you can afford. IS is not that important for wedding work--fast shutter speeds are, and every version of the 70-200mm f/2.8 L lens that Canon has produced has been more than *great.* I use the old 80-200mm f/2.8 L "magic drainpipe" professionally, at weddings, constantly, it's my favorite lens of all time...and I've had it since I got my EOS-1 film camera in the early 90s.

However, if you love the 35mm, and use some of your budget on it, then consider the 200mm f/2.8 L prime along with it instead of the tele zoom.

You could probably get both the 35mm & 200mm for close to $1500 if you buy used (not much more new - sell that 85mm and you're good).

You won't have zoom with the 200mm prime, but it's fast, super duper sharp, inexpensive, and most of the time, with 70-200mm lenses, you're either on 70, 135, or 200. The 24-105 covers the wider end of that range already. Just break out the 200mm when you know you are going to go around and take tele shots.

Then you've got your bases pretty well covered -- two fast primes for low-light indoors (35 & 50), a good wide (17-40), good moderate-tele zoom (24-105) that will work great outdoors, (and indoors with flash), and then a brilliant, fast telephoto. That's more lenses than any single photographer really needs for a solo shooting job. You'll be hard pressed to have the time to use them all if you only have one body.

It's a misconception to think that you need to cover every conceivable focal length--it really isn't true, you'll be plenty close enough for a while if you go this route. Not having every possible focal length also forces you to try different things w/regards to composition.

To reiterate (1): You've gotta have a mid-range zoom if you're going to do weddings solo -- if you sell the 24-105, I'd only replace it with something like the 24-70mm -- but you don't necessarily have to get the mkII, you could get a used mkI, or even one of the older 28-70mm f/2.8 Ls.

Notes (2): If you're going to keep doing weddings (I'm just assuming solo,) you need a 2nd body more than you need to buy another lens. Beyond a 2nd body, you need a telephoto more than a 35.

Bottom line, rent things before you buy them -- rent some things you haven't mentioned too -- you might fall in love with one of them -- then buy what you can see yourself using long term -- and you don't have to buy the latest and greatest just to be in the game, Canon has made lots of good L lenses over the years, they are mostly all good, some of them are quite cheap now, and great wedding photography is about skill more than which version of which L lens was used. Find out what you like and works best for you.

Attached a couple of 80-200mm f/2.8 L "Magic Drainpipe" shots here, these are just a couple from the last year that I like, both 80-200mm shots were taken on the 7D.

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Hungry Jaguar

Rienzphotoz said:
In the backwater of Goa (India) we have fisher folk catching prawns within 20 feet away from the salt water crocodiles every day ... I don't think they hurt anyone unless provoked or spooked.
Given what I know about "salties" that seems insane, but then again, it's always been my belief that if you respect nature (particularly things that can kill you), they will respect you back. My preferred shooting locations are very dangerous (by North American standards) and after hundreds of shoots, my worst injury came from the time I accidentally put my backpack on a fire ant mound (in the dark). Bad mistake, still have the scars, but a very minor injury compared to what could happen out in the swamps & woods.
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Lighting large groups, help needed!

Zv said:
Nishi Drew said:
Turns out to be an informative thread, nice advice guys!
And Zv, might I ask where in Japan you're at? I'm in the country as well and do the rare part time shoot for a wedding and portrait. Just curious, and I'm around Kobe/Osaka

Cool! I'm around the Nagoya area. I've been to Osaka a few times it's a great place to shoot, loved it!

We're taking a beating from this tropical storm / typhoon this morning!

:(

Ah, not too far from here, though I've only been through Nagoya on the way to Tokyo and back....
Yeah the typhoon was strong, it degraded into a tropical storm right before landing I think, and this area got around 500mm of rain but not as hard hit as up your way
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Got the 70D - check out some sample video/photos

xps said:
CarlTN said:
Looks like an improvement over the 60D and 7D, but not enough of one for me.

Might be true. My personal view: The collegues at our local photo club got one yesterday and shot studio yesterday in the evening.
Well, compared with my old 60D - I want to replace - the Iso performance ist just a little bit better.

BUT a big bit worser than the D7100. Sorry Canon, the AF is superb. But the IQ is still not in the range of the D7100. We compared true shot studio pics yesterday.

As written, this is my personal opinion.

But, lacking an alternative, I will fetch mine in Innsbruck today.

If what you have seen is true, then how can Canon claim "class leading noise performance"? I kind of knew it wasn't going to even equal the D7100, let alone eclipse it. Fortunately for Canon, Nikon is still the inferior system with the inferior ergonomics and philosophy.
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Phottix Odins, monolights, and HSS

V8, great to see you back!

I bought 4 Einstein heads and a single Vagabond, have shot one or two assignments that called for outdoor power. Looking for similar car challenges way out here on my Pacific rock -- just for fun... owners of great iron here have few commercial aspirations that require spending $$ for a car picture but it looks like so much FUN!

Einsteins put out a LOT of light. Having Balcar attachment standard opens some options past the Buff modifiers, but the Buff materials seem good. Your point about the second or third Vagabond sounds smart and might keep wires out of sight in a more complicated setups.
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